Pixels and vectors
As we said in the The game artist section in Chapter 2, The Mobile Indie Team, a game artist's duties involve the creation of graphic assets with both 2D and 3D techniques. The decision whether to use 2D or 3D graphics is made at a game design level.
Generally speaking, most mobile blockbusters are 2D games. There are several reasons for that: 2D games tend to be easier to play and rely on simple mechanics, which is a plus when targeting occasional players. Playing mobile games is usually a time-limited diversion, something you do while you are waiting for something else (a person, a bus, your turn in a line, and so on). Simple gameplay mechanics better fit such occasions and that's why mobile games, such as Doodle Jump, Fruit Ninja, or Angry Birds are so popular.
2D games also require less computational power and they can run smoothly on low-end devices. Even though developing a high-end-device-only game with excellent photorealistic graphics is a good way to...